Mixing chamber for suction cleaners



Oct 24, 1950 .A- M. M GUIRE MIXING CHAMBER FOR SUCTION CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1949 I N VEN TOR.

m W N ATTORNEYS Oct. 24, 1950 A. M. MCGUIRE MIXING CHAMBER FOR sucnou CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1949 AT TORNE Y5 I Patented Oct. 24, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 me 2,527,439 I MIXING CHAMBER FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Arthur M. McGuire, Philadelphia, Pa.,.assignor to Hydroway, Incorporated, Philadelphia,-Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania, 7

Application February 10, 1949, Serial No. 75,648

10 Claims.

. 1 x This invention relates to mixing chambers for suction cleaners and more particularly to such mixing chambers for mixing the entrained dust and dirt from a suction cleaner with water and then discharging the mixture to drain.

Heretofore I have proposed several difierent types of suction cleaners discharging the entrained dust' and dirt into a water mixer for mixing the same with water and thereafter discharging the mixture to drain. Such suction cleaners are disclosed and claimed in my pending applications Serial No. 746,034, filed May 5, 1947; Serial No. 38,889, filed July 15, 1948; and Serial No. 96,610, filed June l, 1949.- All of these cleaners have been exceptionaly efiicient in that no bag of dust or dirt m'ust'be emptied by hand or need any tank of mixed water and. dust or dirt'be manually emptied. Further, my suction cleaners have the added advantage of discharging purified and humidified air from the mixing chamber into I In my other cleaners surrounding atmosphere. the mixing chamber must be physically aifixed to a Water faucet or water tap and I have provided means for promptly and efiiciently connecting the mixing chamber to the tap or faucet so that the same may be readily demountable. Such mixing chambers cannot be used with certain modern types of plumbing in which the discharge orifice for the water valves is built into the face of the sink or basin and merely discharges the water into the sink or basin in a generally downward and outward direction without using a nozzle type offaucet.

By the present invention I have provided a novel water mixer which can be used with all types of faucets and sinks or bas ns without the.

necessity of manually connecting the same to a water discharge orifice.

Itis accordingly an object of the present invention toprovide a novel water mixer for use with suction cleaners which can receive Water from all types of faucet without the necessity of manually connecting the same thereto. 7

" Another object is to provide such a mixer in which the entrained dust and dirt is eflicie'ntly Another object is to provide such a mixer which is 'of simple constructionand which may be readily dismounted'and assembled by the users of my suction'cleaner'to clean the filters provided in the same.

Anotherobject of the present'inventio'n is to provide such a mixer which can be readily and cheaply manufactured and which will be efiicient in operation under all operating conditions.

Other and furtherobjects of my invention will appear'from the following description thereof.

My novel mixer is capable of various mechanical embodiments one of which is shown in the accompanying drawings and is described hereinafter for the purposes of illustrating the same. This description of this illustrative embodiment of my invention should in no Way be construed as defining or limiting the same and reference should be had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is a general View of a suction cleaner of the type which I have previously proposed showing the same in use with my novel mixer;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation of the nove mixer of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an expanded view of the novel mixer of Fig. 1 showing the several parts thereof in detail.

Referring now more'particularly to Fig. 1, a suction cleaner is there shown comprising a cleaning head I 0 connected by an expansible and contractible corrugated rubber hose II to the intake E2 of a horizontally disposed air pump [3 having an air impeller l4 driven by an electric motor I 5 and provided with a discharge [6. Discharge [6 is connected by a'second expansible and contractible corrugated rubber hose II to my novel and'hose H. When cleaning head i0 is moved over a surface to be cleaned in the conventional manner dust and dirt from such surface is entrained in the air pulled through the cleaning head it! and this air with entrained dust and dirt is discharged through discharge'lfi into hose II and into mixer l8. P

As will be seen in Figs. 2-and 3, mixer l8 comprises a lower cylindrical receptacle 22 which is provided with a bottom 23 and which is mounted upon suction cups 24 so that the same will be retained in position in sink IS. The upper end of receptacle 22 is open and is provided with an inturned circumferentially disposed flange 25. Awater intake 26 is provided adjacent the upper edge of receptacle 22 and is more or less semi-spherical in form and is open at its top 21 so that water discharged from any type of spigot can readily fall therethrough. A bafile 28 is provided within receptacle 22 behind intake 26 to prevent air from escaping therethrough. Air and water discharge vents 29 are let into the sides of receptacle 22- on both sides of intake 26 and extend through approximately three-quarters of the circumference of receptacle 22. Hand holds 39 aresecured to the outside of receptacle 22 above vents 29 to provide a means for picking up and carrying the mix-- er l8. Hand holds 30 are so disposed with respect to vents 29 that any water and air discharged through vents 29 in an upward direction willimpinge thereagainst and will be deflected downwardly thus preventing spattering of water. through'vents 2 9.

A cup-shaped vessel 3| provided with an outturned--v circumferentially disposed upper; flange- 32' is mounted within receptacle 22 and extends downwardly so that the bottom 33 thereof is beneath thelowest point of intake 26'. Circumferential fianges32 and 25 may be suitably mated so that an air and water-tight seal is formed between them.. Bottom 331s centrally apertured' at 34 to receivea downwardly extending tubular element 35 which terminates short'of bottom 23. Bottom 33 is also provided with a plurality of the relativelysmall apertures 36. Vessel 3| is of reduced diameter at 31 to provide a circumferential shoulder 38 to receive filter housing 39.

Filter housing 39 is closed at its upper end 40 and is provided with a circular groove 4|. End 40- is providedwith a centrally disposed opening 42 to receivenipple-43 to which is suitably secured the corrugated expansible and collapsible rubber hose IT.

A cylindrical filter screen 44 is mounted in housing 39 and the open upper end 45 thereof fits'snugly into groove 4|. Filter 44'has a perforated filter bottom 45- and is spaced from the walls of. housing 39. A spider 46 bears against bottom 45 and separates the same from gasket 41 mounted in housing 39. Gasket 41 is provided' with a central aperture 48 and rests upon shoulder 38 of vessel 3|. Gasket 4'! is provided with a downwardly depending lip 49 surrounding aperture 48 for reasons that will appear hereinafter.

Vessel 3|, housing 39 and receptacle 22 are secured together to form air-tight seals therebetween by any suitable means here shown as manually operablefasteners 59 pivotally mounted on housing 39 and engaging suitable identa-- tions 5| in receptacle 22. 1

When the suction cleaner and the mixer of my invention are assembled as described with reference to Fig. 1 and when motor I5 is energized dust. and dirt entrained with air flows through sad nose I! into nipple 43; through opening 42,and i 4 opening 48 in gasket 41 into vessel 3|. In the meantime the water has been turned on and faucet 2| discharges the same to fall freely into water intake 26 and a water level is built up in receptacle 22 the height of which depends upon the amount of air passing into the receptacle and approximates the water level shown at 52. In any event the water level is% sufficiently high to cover end 33 and openings 34' and 36 of vessel 3|. The air with entrained particles of dust and dirt passing through opening 48 enters the water within vessels 3| and passes downward primarily through tubular element 35 but also in lesser degree through openings 36. By providing openings 36 less turbulence is created at the discharge end of element 35 and the action of the air on the water in receptacle 22 is reduced so that excessive splashing does not take place. The water in vessel 3| and receptacle 22 separates the entrained particles of dust and dirt from the air and the air passes upwardly in receptacle 22 and" outwardly through vents 29.. Excess of water in; receptacle 22. passes with the air throughzvents: 29.-so that the water level in chamber 22 is'maim tained relatively constant and the mixture of" dust and dirt and Water fiows off through: drain 2!];

Bafile 28 is so disposed that air passingr'upwardly in receptacle 22 which is deflected downwardly from shoulder 38 and. flange 25 will not disturb the water flowing into intake26 andiwilla permit the same to flow freely'into receptacle '22; Downwardly depending flangev 49 of. gasket is provided to minimize splashing, of water upwardly from chamber 3| into housing, 39.a-nd1will de,-' fiect splashed water from the undersurface-there of back into vessel 3| p 1 When filter 44 becomes filled with large particles of lint, paper, cigarette buttsandthe like. it will. usually sufiice to detach; nipple 43* andreverse housing 39 to pour the same torwaste;v

to remove gasket 41. and spider 46 from housing 39,. and then withdraw filter 44 from groove 4|- and housing 39 sothat filter 44- may be readily and easily cleaned.

It should be particularly noted that in' my novel mixer it is not necessary for the discharger opening of faucet 2| to be connected to-intake 26 and the mixer operates in a most efficient manner even though the water discharged from faucet 21 2211s freely through-space before entering intake It will now be apparent that by the present invention I have provided a noveland efficient mixer for use with suction cleaners whichv need not be manually connected to the tap-or faucet of a sink or basin; which is ofsimple construc.- tion and cheap to manufacture; whichcompletely mixes the entrained dust and dirt with water and then discharges the sameto drain; which is readily dismounted for cleaning; andin which there is no leaking and splashing'ofwater'around: the joints thereof or from the discharge orifices therein.

Changes to or modifications of the abovevdescribed illustrative embodiment of my invention may now be suggested to those skilledin the art without departing from myinventive concept; To determine the scope. of this invention refer ence should be had to the appended claims.

What is claimed is: Y 1.,-Ina water anddust mixerifor suction cl'eaners, a water receiving receptacle, a water inlet adjacent the upper edge of said receptacle, air and water ports in said receptacle adjacent the upper edge thereof, a vessel nested in said receptacle and spaced internally therefrom, a perforated bottom for said vessel, a tubular member extending from said bottom and terminating short of the bottom of said receptacle, a filter housing received in the upper end of said vessel,

a ring shaped gasket received in the lower end of said housing and bearing upon the upper end of said vessel, a spider in said housing resting on said gasket, a tubular filter resting on said spider and spaced from the walls of said housing tacle disposed above and adjacent to said ventsto deflect air and water downwardly from said vents.

4. A mixer as described in claim 1 including a downwardly and inwardly directed deflecting surface on the lower side of said gasket.

5. A mixer as described in claim 1 in which the upper edge of said filter is firmly but iremovably received in a circular groove in the top of said housing.

6. In a mixer, a receptacle having an open upper end, a vessel nested in said receptacle and spaced from the walls thereof and having a perforated bottom and an open top, a discharge opening in the bottom of said vessel, 2. filter housing mounted in the open end of said vessel,

a cylindrical filter mounted in said housing and spaced from the walls thereof, means for locking said receptacle, said vessel and said housing together to form air-tight seals therebetween, an air and dust inlet in said housing discharging into said filter, a water inlet adjacent the top of said receptacle and air and water ports in said receptacle adjacent the top thereof.

'7. A mixer as described in claim 6 in which said water inlet includes a lip extending outwardly from said receptacle to receive and direct water into said inlet.

8. A mixer as described in claim 6- including a baffle extending downwardly and inwardly from said receptacle over said water inlet.

9. A mixer as described in claim 6 in which bafiles extend downwardly and outwardly from said receptacle over said vents and provide lifting means for the mixer.

10. A mixer as described in claim 6 including a groove in the top of said housing to firmly but removably receive said filter.

ARTHUR M. MCGUIRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 978,739 Griswold et a1. Dec, 13, 1910 996,991 Little July 4, 1911 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,366 Great Britain Sept. 25, 1905 

